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Saturday, June 3, 2017

The scenic route to Ensenada, which winds and bends, with the summer breeze, contains some of the most beautiful, tranquil in the entire Baja state, and California's western coast. The vineyards and landscapes are enchanting in their peace, to stand at Miramar point and watch the waves breaking across the Pacific, to watch as sunset settles across the bay is healing and inspiring in it's casual, natural beauty.

The severed heads were found on the scenic road, close to Salsepuides Bay, in black bags, early on the morning of Monday, May 29th. Last month, near that same side of the road, I was staring out of the window, with the same awed gaze, childlike wonder, I often have when traveling, by train in France, ferry in Spain, or driven in an SUV back to Tijuana.

Francisco "N"

Valle was everything it's been described as, food that rivals the best kitchens of Tijuana, and L.A, hotels, naturalistic and creatively designed, and just the harsh beauty of nature, the way darkness falls with a heavy hand, the way it does not in the city. It was a relief to relax against the mountains, take in the vineyards at sunset, distance from the heart, the mind, the memories and thoughts that awaken you in the morning.

I read on Monday, severed heads, found on the highway, in black bags, and I paused. I felt sorrow for the victims, and the community, and also a thought of what had really happened. Why had this happened? It bore the now unmistakable signs of drug violence, disarticulation, cheap black bags, tossed on the side of the road, casual cruelty, which mercilessly appear in Tijuana.

Why this place? There are small colonias that decorate the interior of the Guadelupe Valley, and they are no more well of then those in Ensenada or Tijuana. It's with a guilty, heavy heart that I passed by the small stores, the school children, the little houses, amidst the luxuries and meals enjoyed by others. They are small and not densely populated, there is not much retail drug business to be had. Though, years of knowledge, has condemned me with the reality that severe violence and killing will be committed for the seemingly smallest of rewards.

Still, there is rarely violence, or mantas, or shootouts, or any of the signs in the Valle. But, this may have been a sign. I didn't write a story. I thought I had too, but I wanted to wait. Would blame be assigned? Would Zeta reveal a new emerging struggle for power as off shoots of Sinaloa backed players in Ensenada expanded their territory?

Would I betray my still fresh memories of Valle, and the people I met, places I visited, by writing with blunt, stylistic tones about unspeakable, yet not unspeakable violence, that could threaten their existence?

The victims were identified as retired teachers, a couple, living in nearby Colonias, Silvia Gonzalez Galindo, and Jose Roman Miranda, in their 60's. Their corpses were located in Sanchez Taboada, Tijuana, one of the hottest colonias in the city, where bodies appear near daily. They had been picked up on May 23rd, to go view a home for sale in Ensenada, by their friend, Francisco "N", also a teacher, in his early 50's.

Francisco was arrested Friday, as one of two men suspected in the killings, decapitations of the retired couple, whom had known their killer. There no motive given, a WhatsApp message to children related to the couple was received, stating "not to make waves", but no ransom message was ever sent, and the bodies were found a day or so later.

Later articles may detail why this couple was brutally killed, and dismembered, obviously, some of that was to conceal the crime, or try to have it lost in the sea of killings that take so many family members, friends, children from these communities. It's happened before, in cities across Mexico, black bags and severed heads, to disguise a personal crime, a crime of passion, a financially motivated crime.

There's a blackness that lurks in many, maybe most people. The victims died from neck injury from decapitation. Their bodies were tossed in Tijuana, their heads in Valle. Javier Francisco Arellano ordered the same fate for half dozen Rosarito Beach police officers, with whom he had a minor grudge, after they disturbed a narco bacchanal at one of his residences, in 2006.

A blackness that can consume, as the sun's descent does in the Valle, final, smothering all in it's wake.

53 comments:

Crazy how many buy in or around Ensenada, Rosarito area for the beautiful scenic view. Many retired citizens from the US . However this wave of violence during the past years has definitely made it unsafe. Making an economic impact in real estate and business to make ends meat for those that rely upon. Unfortunately convincing those family members to sell or rent out is a stubbornly process. I know from experience dad is as stubborn as a mule. Kidnappings are an ideal way of life for those in that area. Besides the drug trafficking. Such senseless killings and innocent victims who only wish to retire comfortably with what little money they have. Heartbreaking.

These were all teachers, the retired and murdered was for their money, what else? --They ere trying to buy a house and bought the whole farm, must have sounded like a good deal, too good to be true,Don'blame the arellanuses or all the other cartels for all the crimes in mexico, the accused killer may have done this a few other times.

@E42 I know what you mean, I have been trying to dissuade a friend who wants to buy a retirement home in Baja. I'm sure most of us Mexicans would love and could only dream of someday returning to our homeland with what little we have manage to scrape over the years. After all that's why most of us came here. To earn some dollars and return to our mother land.

Many work for that single purpose of retirement in their country. The earnings goes a long way;moderately speaking .It's been over ten years since last visited Mexico and thought of purchasing land . However due to a wave of violence and lack of enforcement in Mexico. Such a notion is just that of the past. Looking elsewhere now. Government needs to be more effective and vigilant. Disappointing.

@12:00 the L- clave comes from Grupo Lobos, the original Golfo cell in Nuevo Laredo. Once the Zetas took over NL, some Lobos switched to their side, while others were absorbed into other groups del Golfo. A few kept the L- clave, the highest profile being L98 (or maybe it was L89) Juan Carrizales.

Even with crime its still a good bargain to buy land or homes in Baja mexico will always have crime but once the immigration cituation is resolved in the us Mexican tourist will flood mexico bringing big bucks into its economy making the current crime wave less

I like how you think. Stay positive, like him or not I truly believe President Trump is going to do an amnesty. First he has to show the American people or at least blind them with a smoke and screen wall that no more will come in. Again amnesty coming from President Trump. You heard it from me first.

9:38 oh, yeah.Mexicans are going to buy themselves their ow ak47 or their own r15 and pecheras and co tract 300 empecherados to fight the criminal government sicarios, because the corrupt NRA says so...I wonder how come the US has such a gun crime rate every year, and it is not just "chicago" as so many pendejos believe...The NRA is as full of shit as of pirate gun dealers selling their beloved weapons on the street like unregulated putas.

You're right, the motherfucker (killer) did owe my uncle money and decided to kill him instead of paying up. El tío Roman was a good man and well respected in the community, definitely did not need to go out this way. Everyone that knew him (people of good) can agree.

11:29 Pos A Güebo, Wonder why anyone would be making real estate purchases in secret on the low down withou all the lawyers and the banksters present?Hey canadiana quieres venir a mi casa a comer tortillas frinoles con chiles?

I recently met an AMERICAN person who had a successful business in Ensenada for many years. This person had many friends among locals and ex-pats .... Then the nice social and business climate changed for the worse due to the rise of drug cartel linked violence and criminality. Person was now coerced and threatened (plata o plomo) by bad people to do "bad" or unethical things.

This person finally had enough and quit Mexico ... left everything behind and got a job in the USA. Impression I got from this person is that Mexico is unsafe for Americans and that corruption and dangers are everywhere to where you cannot trust anyone (not even friends, police, lawyers, merchants, or even judges). The bad people have taken over Mexico .. don't go there...

Things are not the same as they were during the happier years of the 1940s to 1970s. Illicit drugs, corruption, and poverty were identified as main causes for the violence and ruination of Mexico.Mexico-Watcher